OSHA has renewed and revised its National Emphasis Program (NEP) on preventing amputations in the manufacturing industry.

OSHA’s new Severe Injury Report tool shows that there have been 24,635 amputations in the workplace since 2015, with a total of 1,255 in 2024 alone.

The revised NEP went into effect on June 27 and features significant changes, according to the safety agency.

One new aspect is that any establishment inspected under the NEP in the previous 24 months – and with no reported amputations during that period – “may be deleted from the programmed inspection list.”

Other changes include:

• Inspections may be expanded to an amputation NEP inspection only if the establishment’s North American Industry Classification System code is listed in Appendix B of the NEP.
• Any establishment that has 10 or fewer employees and has its primary North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code listed on the “Low-Hazard Industry Table” of the Appropriations Act directive should not be inspected under the NEP.
• Revision to industry targeting methodology in Appendix A – Amputations Targeting Methodology.
• Updates to Appendix B – Covered NAICS Codes, to reflect the revisions to Appendix A as well as data from 2019 to 2023.

“OSHA’s enforcement history shows that employees are often injured when machinery or equipment is not properly guarded or safely maintained, or when hazardous energy is not controlled,” the NEP directive states. “This NEP targets industrial and manufacturing workplaces having machinery and equipment that can potentially cause amputations.”

The revised directive is set to expire in 2030.